VisaFrench Southern Territories require clean baggage on Crozet and Kerguelen missions
Crozet and Kerguelen mission members must clean equipment and check parcels before transport. Controls also apply during fieldwork.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Prepare for biological controls before the voyage
The French Southern Territories’ biosecurity system applies to the movement of people and supplies into the southern districts, including Crozet and Kerguelen. The administration’s current guidance identifies ships, technical and scientific equipment, construction materials, vehicles, food supplies, postal parcels and containers as potential carriers of unwanted organisms. Mission participants should therefore prepare their baggage as part of departure arrangements, rather than leave cleaning until a landing is imminent.
This is a current practical guide, not a claim that a new November entry rule has been introduced. The administration says its biosecurity strategy has coordinated measures since 2022. Its July 2026 announcement of cooperation with the French Biodiversity Agency includes stronger biosecurity among the supported projects. That programme context does not replace the instructions issued for an individual district or voyage. Ask the mission organiser which current procedures apply to the actual destination and cargo.
Clean personal and scientific equipment thoroughly
The official southern-territories biosecurity booklet requires footwear to be cleaned inside and outside, including vacuuming and brushing. Jackets, trousers, bags and cases also need cleaning and inspection. Equipment must be free of contamination such as soil, seeds, plant fragments, insects and mould. Field kit used elsewhere may carry biological material despite looking presentable.
The booklet also calls for cleaning field equipment before and after outings from the base and scientific material between study sites. This makes the obligation continuous during the mission, rather than a single pre-departure exercise. It states that introducing animals or plants into the nature reserve requires express authorisation and covers unintended as well as deliberate introductions. A research assignment should not be treated as a general biological-import exemption. Use the booklet and the mission’s biosecurity contact to resolve any specialised material before shipping it.
Give parcel senders the rules as well
The official wintering guide, linked from the biosecurity material, explains that people sending parcels must also follow the controls. Its prohibited examples include fresh fruit and vegetables, viable plants and seeds, live organisms and animals, dried plant material and unshelled nuts. These published examples should prompt a check of the full current list, especially for homemade food, supplements or biological research material.
The guide directs packing indoors on clean surfaces, avoiding straw or other plant-based cushioning and using appropriate sealed packaging for permitted food. It calls for a detailed list of food or perishable contents on the postal paperwork and a visible BIOSECURISÉ marking on parcels for the southern districts. That marking records the sender’s compliance; writing it on a box does not make prohibited contents acceptable. Send the official instructions to family members and suppliers before dispatch, not after a parcel has entered the transport chain.
Coordinate inspection and any exceptional permission
The administration’s published biosecurity strategy treats logistics as a chain involving suppliers, freight handling, the vessel and the receiving base. Its procedures cover inspection and controlled handling of supplies and parcels, including opening parcels through a biosecurity area and decontaminating contents where necessary. Personal preparation is therefore one part of a wider process; a private cleaning claim does not remove the receiving team’s checks.
Before handing over baggage or cargo, identify who will answer questions about the district’s restrictions and who can decide any exceptional authorisation. Include equipment being shipped separately from the traveller. Describe the item and intended use accurately, and allow the organiser to resolve it before the shipment deadline. The resources reviewed do not publish a universal traveller biosecurity fee or guaranteed exception-processing period. Confirm any special handling charge and required supporting evidence directly. Keep biosecurity compliance separate from the mission’s travel approval: permission to undertake the assignment does not authorise every article packed for it. Separate consignments should be identified to the responsible logistics team before dispatch.
